Ray of Hope
by ProDLnEC aka NLcsimiamifanatic
Summary: Is Mac's future with a woman just a few doors from home? REVIEWS REQUIRED! COMPLETE! Watch for the Sequel "Hope Leads to Happiness Again."
1. Prologue REVISED

_Be Nice! This is my first CSI: New York Story, centered around Mac finally being able to move on after the tenth anniversary of 9/11 and the death of Claire._

_From above, Claire Conrad-Taylor felt relief that her widowed husband was finally to let go of his grief and come to terms with her death. For the past ten and a half years he had done little more than exist, not truly live. Claire knew Mac had always wanted to be a father and Claire wanted to watch him be the wonderful husband he was to her, to some one else...and also finally become a father. Watching from the heavens she knew exactly who to send to him to make this happen. She had been watching a young woman with the ironic first name of "Hope" and Claire knew Hope was the woman to bring joy back into Mac's life._

**_Prologue_**

_The Girl with the Sapphire Eyes_

Mac had seen her frequently at the café where he went for breakfast every morning. But like a teenager, too many butterflies in his stomach would prevent him from talking to her beyond greetings and morning small talk. He wondered if the young woman of approximately twenty-eight years of age, with shoulder-length black hair and sapphire blue eyes, lived in the city or not. He would see her here for weeks and then not see her for over a month.

Yes. He counted the weeks.

The waitress at the diner, Amy, who knew Mac's usual order of oatmeal with raisins with a side of syrup and a cup of coffee, knew the crime lab supervisor couldn't get the nerve to talk to the woman he obviously had a crush on. The waitress noticed his disappointment any time the young woman in question didn't show up.

"Her name is Hope Conway," Amy finally said to him one morning when she placed Mac's order in front of him.

"Who?" Mac said, trying to sound as if he didn't know what she was talking about.

"The girl you're looking for."

"Oh," Mac said simply.

"And she's isn't from the city. But she will be. The firm she works in Rhode Island, who sends her here every couple of weeks for a few weeks at a time just bought a small company here. She's being transferred and will be moved here by Friday."

That was in three days. Mac smiled at the information.

"Anything else she told you?" Mac replied with a smile, half-joking.

"She's 27, a professional photographer. History buff, likes visiting museums and collecting antiques. Single, No kids, no pets. And she's interested in you, too," Amy said, walking away. "She told me the place she's movin' in to."

Mac's eyebrows rose and he couldn't hide the fact his brown eyes lit up. Then his jaw almost dropped when Amy said where Hope's new apartment was; in the same complex where he lived. Ten years and a week after his late wife's passing, Mac had decided it was time to move from the apartment he had shared with her and start fresh in a new place. It was part of the beginning of starting life over again for him.

Amy, the waitress didn't know where Mac lived, only it was in a nearby apartment building so she didn't make the connection.

* * *

><p>Hope wiped her brow as she put away the last can of soup. An hour ago she had <em>finally <em>finished unpacking her apartment and had spent the last hour grocery shopping. She didn't start work for another week. Since she already knew the city pretty well, considering all the time she had already spent there, her next order of business was to track down a man named Mac Taylor, a sergeant with the NYPD and the head of the crime lab. She knew Mac was forty-two years old and a widower. His wife, Claire had died on 9/11. There was something about him that drew Hope to him and although seeking out an older man was something she never thought she'd do, she wanted to get to know Mac Taylor. She would probably see him in the morning at the café, Hope told herself. This time she was _determined_ to get the nerve to introduce herself.

Sick of her apartment walls after spending most of the day there outside of the short trip to the grocery store and not hungry, Hope decided to take a walk around her new neighborhood. It was getting dark out when she arrived back in the main lobby where she checked her mailbox. She was engrossed in the stack of fliers and envelopes when she saw a man with dark hair a short distance away.

Her heart began to pound when she recognized it was Mac Taylor.

"Mac?" The word escaped her lips before her brain caught up.

"Hope. Hope Conway," Mac smiled. "Good to see you."

Hope was surprised, and relieved Mac remembered her, that she didn't embarrass herself.

"Nice to see you, too. Been a while."

"Yeah. Amy from the café said you're a New Yorker, now."

"Yep. I'm actually just down the hall."

Mac was shocked.

_Hope lived just doors down from him?_

"I guess that makes us neighbors then," Mac replied with a smile, trying not to sound as thrilled as he felt.

It had taken him ten years but it only seemed as if on the anniversary of Claire's death his grief lifted and Mac felt he could finally to move on with his life and not feel guilty or as if he were being unfaithful to his late wife. Part of him knew Claire would say "it's about time, Mac!" On September 11, 2011, he finally removed the wedding band Claire had given him and placed it in the fire-proof safety deposit box where he kept the few mementos and many photos he had decided to keep of the years they spent together. Mac knew Claire would always be in his heart but it was time to start to totally live again, and share his life with someone new. Now, six months after that date, the woman who intrigued Mac lived just doors away.

Would Hope Conway be the one to give him the family he thought he lost the chance to have?

_Read and Review, please! Should I continue?_


	2. Revived

_**Revived**_

It had been three months since Mac and Hope's first date.

Until now, Mac hadn't realized how much he had been missing for ten and a half years. His friends had known about "the girl from the diner" for a while before Mac had learned her name. They saw him beam when he told them he found out her name and the best of all, she lived only doors down from him. Mac had got the courage to ask Hope out to _Cozy's_ to listen to him play and afterwards go to dinner, a week after they had seen each other in the lobby of the apartment complex. Since then the two spent every free moment together. The couple had conflicting work schedules. Combined with the unpredictability of Mac's hours and then the call-outs when he was off, that wasn't not an _abundance_ of time. Though they weren't sure exactly where their relationship would lead yet Mac had learned another thing about Hope in this short time.

She wanted children.

Not _just_ children but a husband to go with it. And if she got the opportunity to have that family, she was willing to make sacrifices to be a stay-at-home mom. These desires, either separately or together had been the downfall in most of the relationships Hope had been in Mac found out. Mac knew every person was different but he didn't find either wish of Hope's unreasonable. He didn't want to scare off Hope by coming on too strong, even though they were exclusive, the two weren't _that_ serious yet but he had commented to her that he thought there was still time for him to have a family, even if he were forty-two years old. Hope had been pleasantly surprised to hear Mac wanted children. It was too early to tell but this revelation made her realize it was _possible_ that this relationship could be the one she had been waiting for. Her family, her parents and two older brothers and older sister in Rhode Island hadn't sounded too thrilled to hear Hope was dating an older man. But they knew one, she had a smart head on her shoulders and two, she was a grown woman and it wasn't like they could do anything to stop the relationship. Hope being smart, they all thought the man in question had to be a good guy.

The age difference between the two did not bother Mac, either. He was actually relieved for it for one reason. Because she was just a senior in high school, on September 11, 2001, she had been "safe and sound" in Rhode Island, far from the death and destruction. If the tragedy had occurred in the past two years, she might have been in the city. Mac hoped his new girlfriend's family wouldn't judge him too harshly before they got to know him though they hadn't met him yet. Hope's family members tried not to be judgmental when they heard Mac were a former marine. Hope had explained that she had dated a former marine four years ago and after he ran his home like a army base and expected Hope to have cleaned that perfectly, right down to making the beds a certain way, and cleaning the toilet and floors with a toothbrush. This guy had also treated his children from a fro m a previous engagement, ages three and five like "mini marines," making them stand on a single title, completely still and stare straight when they were in time-out. If the child moved at all, the time started over. Also the fiancee and children weren't to call him "honey" or "daddy" but "sir."

Mac was stunned. _His_ father had been a marine but at home with his wife and son he was a _husband_ and _dad_.

"I dated the guy for a month," Hope explained, "twenty-eight of those days was before I heard of the cleaning regime and the 'sir' thing."

Mac didn't blame her. That wasn't a home and a family relationship.

That was basic training and your 'relationship' with your drill sergeant.

Mac could never have acted like that.

Hope got to see how wonderful Mac were with children when she met his goddaughter two-year-old Lucy Messer when her parents dropped her off for a couple hours while they went on their "date night." Danny and Lindsay Messer didn't mind that Hope would be there. In fact they were looking forward to meeting her. They immediately took a liking to Hope, as did Lucy. Before her parents left she was already playing on the floor with Hope.

"She's really nice," Lindsay told Mac when the couple returned.

Hope had since returned to her place and Lucy were sound asleep.

"She is," Mac smiled.

Nathan and Alicia Conway, Hope's parents and their children Blake, Hunter and Bella thought Hope had made a great choice in Mac Taylor. The group made a weekend trip to the big apple to see Hope on her twenty-eighth birthday. She and Mac had been together just over six months.

"He seems like a really great guy," Alicia told her daughter.

Hope smiled.

Unfortunately Mac only got to spend Friday night with his girlfriend and meeting her parents. He was gone most of Saturday thanks to back-to-back crime scenes. Her birthday wasn't till Sunday and he would give Hope the gift he bought for her after her family left. By the time he came to her door at two a.m. , after being called another scene at 11pm. Her family had returned to their hotel. They were flying back home the next morning. Hope wouldn't see them again before then. Mac hoped his leaving didn't make a bad impression.

"It's your _job_," Hope reminded Mac kissing him. "They realize you have obligations. But if it means that much to you, after you left they all said they liked you. Mom told me to keep you."

Mac smiled and kissed Hope again.

Hope started to unbutton Mac's shirt. "By the way, since it's my birthday you're not going back to your apartment tonight."

Mac grinned. "Lucky me," he lifted her up and carried her bridal-style to the bedroom.

Hope's birthday present lay forgotten in the haste of Mac carrying his girlfriend to the bedroom to make love. The next morning after breakfast she opened the rectangle velvet box. Inside was a blue sapphire butterfly pendent. Mac knew Hope loved butterflies and told her he thought the blue matched her eyes.

She smiled and kissed him.

"It's beautiful. I love it."

By the minute Hope was believing that Mac Taylor was the man she would spend the rest of her life with.


	3. Bowling & Diamonds

_**Bowling and Diamonds**_

It had been a year and two weeks since they had met in the lobby of the building. A year since Hope had given up her apartment and moved into Mac's three-bedroom apartment down the hall. Mac confided in Danny (who confided in Lindsay who would tell Flack who would then tell Hawkes) that he and Hope were talking about long-term plans now, including marriage and children. There was no way Mac and Hope were just going to go to the jewellery store, pick out a ring and announce "we're getting married." Mac would buy the ring and propose to Hope properly. He just didn't know how or when yet. Young Lucy Messer would absolutely approve of the union. She _loved_ being with "Ope" and Mac when her parents went out on Friday night. The little girl had been taken up with Mac's girlfriend since the day they met. Lucy had been introduced to a new activity by Hope as well.

Bowling.

Or "bowing" as Lucy said.

Mac wasn't brand new to the sport like Lucy, but before he met Hope he didn't remember the last time he had did it.

Or had that much fun doing so.

Watching the way Hope interacted with their child the Messers were anxious to see Mac and Hope start a family. Hope told Lindsay that she and Mac absolutely planned to have children. Lindsay could see the other woman's excitement whenever she talked about it. None of Hope's siblings had children, only Blake ever expressed interest in doing so whenever he met someone. Alicia and Nathan were starting to think that it was going to be Hope and Mac who gave them their first grandchild. The Conways gave Mac their permission to ask their daughter ro marry him. He had called and asked them one night when Hope was out for dinner with some friends. Mac had purchased the half carat diamond ring a week before but he was not quite sure when he was going to propose yet. He was also trying to think of a creative, but private way to do it.

"Whenever you feel you're ready, you have our blessing, Mac. We'd be honored to have as a part of our family," Alicia said.

_From above, Claire Conrad-Taylor was happy. The fact that Mac hadn't proposed to or married Hope Conway yet wasn't upsetting. That took time. The main thing was the light in Mac's eyes had returned and he was totally __living__ again. _

A torrential rain hit the city the day before and was showing no signs of stopping. A load of caes had Danny and Lindsay missing their date night as well as Mac missing the night off. Hope was taking care of Lucy. As the sheets of rain loudly hit the window of Mac's office, he was showing his friends the ring he had bought for his lady.

"She'll love it," Lindsay said

"Any ideas on how you're gonna ask her, yet?" Danny asked.

"No." Mac said.

He was nervous that Hope would tell him it was too soon but the worst, tell him "no" outright, that she didn't want to marry him. A pregnant detective Stella Bonasera, Mrs. Don Flack Junior when off the job, along with Danny and Lindsay thought that was an impossibility. Hope was clueless to Mac's intentions.

Saying "no" to Mac's marriage proposal was _not_ on her radar.

_Please, if you take the time to read, take the time to review! :o)_


	4. Morning Surprise

_**Morning Surprise**_

Hope had had a rough month. Having a history of ear troubles she had gone through yet _another_ persistent and highly painful ear infection. After not one, but two rounds of powerful antibiotics and the infection cleared, she had to have tubes put in her ears.

For the sixth time in her life.

Mac had been there to take her to the hospital and hold her hand for the pre-op blood tests because needles terrified her. He took her to the hospital for the surgery the next day and was the first person she saw and heard when she woke up. He stayed with her all the rest of the day and the next to make sure she was recovered and steady on her feet again. It had bothered that she had been ill when she become sick twice shortly after getting home, the heat and motion of the ride home getting to her. Bothering him only because he loved her and hated to see her that way but it was nothing he couldn't handle. Mac was back at work but Hope had the following day too before returning to work. Luckily that day was Friday, after that fingers crossed she would have two days with Mac.

* * *

><p>Saturday morning.<p>

Hope's sickness and surgery had put a month-long delay in Mac proposing to her. But he _had _come up with the way to ask were never a morning person. She sleepily walked into the kitchen of the home they shared. Saturday and Sunday mornings was the only time they got to eat breakfast together and not rush. When she sat down she immediately notice there was something different about her muffin.

_ A diamond ring was sticking out from the top of it._

Hope gasped and stared at Mac, who smiled at her from across the table. He rose from his chair and then knelt on bended knee in front of her_._ He told her meeting her had bought him back to life, showing him how to live again, not just exist_._ She had bought joy back into life every day and only hoped he bought half as much into hers. He wanted to spend the rest of his days with her and raise a family.

"Hope Conway, will you marry me?"

"Yes. Oh Mac, yes, I will!" Hope said. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

The ring itself was temporarily forgotten as Mac lifted Hope into his arms and carried her to their still unmade bed. They made love till noon then showered together. The ring from the muffin got rinsed off and Mac slipped it onto Hope's finger.

* * *

><p>Don and Stella Flack had conceived just weeks after their surprise wedding. They really liked Stella but Don's family thought they were an unlikely match but if Don was happy than it was all that mattered. Though knowing each other for years, the two were a couple for less than a year before getting married during a weekend upstate. Stella was almost seven months pregnant, the parents-to-be had known for months they would be having a son and planned to name him Donald Flack III. To distinguish him from his dad and grandfather, the baby would be called "Trey." Hope personally didn't like the concept of a "junior." She hadn't ever since she could remember, believing every child should have their own identity. She was very aware that Mac, as well as Don were "juniors" and fiercely proud of it, especially Mac because his father had been his hero. With that knowledge she didn't say how "stupid" she thought naming a boy after his father was, like she normally would. When she and Mac had talked about children he had told her that he <em>didn't<em> want to name his son McKenna Boyd Taylor III.

"'Junior' is one thing. But 'the third' is taking it too far," he said. "But I wouldn't tell Don that," Mac had laughed.

The newly engaged couple thought they might keep their news a secret for a few days.

Till they happened to meet up with the Messer family when they went out for pizza that evening.

Lucy was bouncing in Hope's lap, as she insisted they sit together, when she noticed the "pity" ring on Hope's finger.

"Unca Mac gifted dat to you?" She asked.

"He did," Hope smiled.

"Let me see!" Lindsay said, though she'd the ring before.

"So?" Danny asked.

"I asked her this morning," Mac replied with a grin. "No date yet."

Lindsay explained to her daughter that the ring meant Hope and Mac were going to get married like them and like Don and Stella.

"'Ou have babies?" Lucy asked, looking from Hope to Mac.

"We'll see, honey." Mac smiled.

Children _were_ in the cards for the couple but maybe not for a little while.

Danny and Lindsay promised to keep their secret, and keep little Lucy out of the lab to ensure it, till Mac made the announcement at work. Hope had already called her parents. She was glad they were happy for her but if they hadn't been it wouldn't have dampened her joy. It dawned on her Mac had been planning this for weeks when her mother told her that her fiancé had called them to ask their permission to marry her.

"You're _lucky_ you accepted!" Her mother teased.


	5. Maybe We Shouldn

_**Maybe we shouldn't wait...**_

Hope could've _swore_ this was supposed to be a _baby shower for Stella_.

Instead the small celebration appeared to be turning into a discussion on when she and Mac were going to have a baby. Maybe they would go down the aisle first, maybe not. Mac thought they _might_ marry first but it was also possible they were start a family first. As of right now, a wedding date was not set and the couple weren't planning to get pregnant, yet. As wedding plans come, Hope wanted to get married in the spring or fall. Which season that would be depended when all of Hope's family could come in from the three states they lived in, Rhode Island, Arizona and Colorado as Hope wanted the wedding to take place in New York, where all of Mac's 'family' was. She could imagine what raising children with Mac Taylot would be like seeing the way he interacted and cared for Lucy Messer. He clearly adored the toddler. Hope had fallen in love with her as well. Whenever Mac or Hope asked to have Lucy spend the night outside of mommy and daddy's date night Lindsay or Danny would reply with "you two _so _need to get your own!"

Hope laid on the couch, putting her head on Mac's lap. He smiled and caressed her hair.

"You have fun?" He asked.

"I did. Considering the fact I spent most of the time fielding questions on when _you and I_ are gonna have a baby. By the way did you know getting married first isn't a requirement, anymore? So, according to Lindsay, we "can't use that as an excuse'?"

Mac smiled.

"I've been getting the same at work," he said. "I'm starting to look forward to when anyone comes toward me with a case file."

Having a baby before marriage wasn't ruled for the couple but they had been engaged less than two months, They were trying to settle into that first. Hope was looking to having Mac's baby. They started life together and she couldn't wait to get to that phase. She could only imagine how excited Don and Stella Flack were feeling now. Stella's due date was only two weeks away so she could have the baby any time. Stella was fed up with pregnancy. She told Don the first meal she wanted after giving birth was sushi. She wanted it so bad she were dreaming of it, Don told Mac.

"Don't laugh!" Don told Mac. "You're gonna be next for this!"

Mac laughed but couldn't say he wouldn't be—but with one difference.

Hope _hated _sushi.

In fact the only fish she liked was tuna from a can.

It was the following day at 1:00pm that Stella went into labor. At the end of shift, she was still in labor. The Messers, including Lucy and Mac and Hope headed to to the hospital to support their friends. Don was starting to unravel, so Danny and Mac were going to take him for walk in the hall to help him get a grip while Lindsay stayed in the delivery room with Stella.

Hope would entertain Lucy in the waiting room.

Two years ago Danny were doing the same "freaking out" routine when Lindsay was in labor, afraid he would pass out and go into cardiac arrest in the delivery room and fearing Lindsay would unexpectedly have two babies, not just one. Don had "taken him for a walk" while Stella stayed with Lindsay. Hope would have stayed with her friend, believing Stella should not be alone but she was _very_ relieved that Lindsay offered to do so because she knew what Stella was going though. Hope did _not_ want to see what labor were like until she were in it herself. Considering the fact Stella had opted out of an Epidural, she _really _didn't want to see it.

Donald Flack III, aka "Trey" entered the world weighing eight pounds, four ounces at 7:14pm that evening. By that time Danny had taken a sleepy Lucy home while Lindsay waited at the hospital with everyone else. Sheldon Hawkes and Sid Hammerback had arrived at the hospital just twenty minutes before Don entered in the waiting room beaming. The group got to see and hold the new arrival briefly before leaving the new family alone.

Don teased Mac and Hope that the two were now officially "next in line" for parenthood. After they both held Trey, the couple began to think it was time to speed up the wedding plans.

_I'm off to Disneyland for two weeks! More updates when I get back!_


	6. Save the Date

_**Save The Date**_

The date was set.

The invitations for 120 people were mailed

Mac Taylor and Hope Conway were getting married in three months from today in a ballroom at the Courtyard by Marriott in Manhattan. Hope had a good idea of what she wanted in a wedding gown. Choosing attire for the bridesmaid had been easy. Hope had picked out lilac for the color of the dresses but she decided to let each woman pick her own sylte. She was going dress shopping for herself with Lindsay and Stella in a week. Her parents had sent her a blank check, telling her not to look at the price tag of any dress she were to fall in love with. In other words, when the bridal consult asked "what's your budget?" Hope to say she didn't have one. Alicia also told her daughter not to let her absence stop her from enjoying the experience of dress shopping. Lindsay would be standing up for Hope along with the bride's sister Bella who was the matron of honor and Hope's best friend from childhood, Pam. Danny was Mac's best man. Don and Sheldon would be standing up as well. The bride-to-be was definitely beginning to feel butterflies of excitement. After their wedding night at the honeymoon suite of the hotel, the newlyweds would spending eight days in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina—this was to be the longest period of time Mac Taylor ever took off for leisure.

Pam Hogan hadn't yet met the man her friend was to marry, in person, though she had spoken to him on the phone at length. But she trusted her friend's judgement. Pam knew Hope didn't "take shit" from anyone, even someone who was a member of the finest police department in the country.

Mac was also getting excited. With the wedding plans in motion, the two were now looking forward to starting a family soon, if not immediately afterwards. It wouldn't have surprised Mac if he and Hope ended up with a "honeymoon baby."

"For someone who's fiancee is at the bridal shop you don't looked too worried," Danny said to Mac.

Mac shrugged and smiled, looking through the file the CSI handed him.

"That's because my name isn't on the check."

It only took a few hours for the future Mrs. Mac Taylor to find her perfect dress, a strapless, a-line gown, the top covered with pearls and sequins The back was being altered to have a corset in place of a zipper. Her husband-to-be wasn't be seeing it till Hope were at the top of the aisle on the big day. The couple would be getting dressed at the hotel that morning before their 2:00pm ceremony. Hope's family was staying at the hotel in the days before the wedding. The three women went out to lunch after leaving _Kleinfeld's_. Hope enjoyed listening to stories about one-month-old Trey Flack and two and a half-year-old Lucy Messer. Stella and Lindsay didn't tease Hope about a baby today, figuring she deserved a break from it.

"So Mac," Don asked as the three sat in the breakroom of the lab. "I know it's a girl thing but besides the suit fitting are you required to participate in any other of this wedding planning?"

"Food tasting," Mac smiled. "We have an appointment with the caterer on Friday."

Danny groaned.

"That's the _one_ thing that I miss 'bout having had a courthouse weddin' with Linds. You get called to a scene can I be your stand-in for that?"

Hope laughed seeing Mac smile in the rearview as they pulled up to the curb in front of the cater's. They were picking out the cake design and flavor well as the menu today. After spending the previous day getting stuck with pins being fitted for his suit, yes, the groom-to-be was looking forward to this.

One of the many things she loved about Mac Taylor was his romantic side and his tendency to do little things like hold her hand. Hope smiled as her fiancé took her hand when she stepped on to the curb after exiting the car.

"Is it the company or the food making you so happy?" She teased.

"Can't it be both?" Mac smiled.


	7. Game Over

_**Game Over...I can't wait for it!**_

Hope couldn't believe that her and Mac's wedding was now only four weeks away.

Mac had eased any insecurities she had had about them moving too fast or him only marrying her "as a tester" after finally dealing with the loss of Claire. She knew Mac were in love with _her,_ and that he would never make her compete with the ghost of someone she'd never met. As the wedding got closer some of Hope's friends had asked repeatedly and even openly stated that maybe Hope should rethink marrying Mac. That maybe being a widower he carried too much baggage to start a life with her and give her the family she wanted.

Hope knew that wasn't true.

Yes, Mac had loved Claire. Loved her with all his heart and soul.

But she was gone now. Mac told Hope that he knew it had taken him much longer to live and be happy than Claire would have liked. Part of him would always love her, something Hope understood, and would never ask him to change, but he had let go of Claire shortly before Hope had entered his life. He couldn't wait for every day ahead with _her. _Claire would have been livid if Mac ever tried to ever make any new woman into her, not loving her for who _she_ was or he constantly compared that woman to her. Mac knew that but also believed himself it was nothing short of cruel to make any new woman married compete with his late wife. Mac was in love with _Hope_. He would never want to make her into Claire or any other woman. Hope and Claire were alike very much in their kindness, warmth and sense of humor. Yet they were also different in other ways. The two women's similarities and differences aside, Claire was past, Hope were his present and future.

* * *

><p>Trey Flack had a tuft of black hair that made it look as if he had a mohawk. The two-month-old had his father's blue eyes and his mother's facial features. Neither he or Lucy Messer were coming to the upcoming wedding, even if Lucy were Mac's goddaughter. Both were too young for such an event. The two tykes were going to spend that day with their grandmas. Danny's mom was coming in from Staten Island so he and Lindsay could attend the wedding. Don's parents were making the short trip from Queens to look after Trey for the event. Lucy didn't know yet she wasn't going to the wedding and the engaged couple left it to her parents to tell her. They knew Danny and Lindsay were delaying telling Lucy this till the night before the wedding because the toddler was going to be upset.<p>

Hope smiled as she crossed off the day on the calendar. She noticed Mac smile in the mirror.

"What's that smile about?" She asked. "Most men would sigh and say '30 more days and it's _game over_.'"

"I like 'game over,'" Mac said, leaning in to kiss the woman he loved.

The _one _thing Mac Taylor was not looking forward to about his wedding to Hope was spending the night before away from her. They would be spending that night, or most of it in separate rooms—on different floors of the hotel. A 'curfew' of sorts had already been imposed on the couple by friends and family that they couldn't see each other after 7:00pm the night before. They could do whatever they wanted in either of their hotel rooms till then.

Which he and Hope planned to do.

They could deal with the few hours of separation. The request was more reasonable than the one the interfaith minister officiating their wedding made. He asked the two not to have sex for the month prior to the wedding. This was to 'build the anticipation,' he stated.

The fact that the guy thought that was going to happen was unbelievable and hilarious. However, to avoid being lectured the couple was prepared to lie through their teeth and _act_ as if they had been sexually deprived. The couple's engagement party was tonight at Don and Stella's new house in Brooklyn. Since she wasn't attending the wedding the couple made sure to remember to take some pictures with Lucy Messer. Mac might not have been the one who paid for Hope's wedding dress but he did for the plum cocktail dress she bought for this special occasion. Mac didn't see the dress (with matching shoes, also new) till she stepped out of their bedroom. Mac was adjusting his tie in the mirror in the hall. He stopped in mid-movement when he saw her reflection and turned around.

"What?" Hope asked, finishing fastening her necklace.

"Nothing. You look _amazing_," he said, walking over to her and kissing her cheek.

Thank you, darling. But I'm not sure you'll say that once you see your credit card statement," Hope giggled.

"Oh, I'm sure it's worth the price tag," Mac smiled.

His friends hadn't seen Mac so very happy and relaxed in years. He was back to Mac Taylor he was before losing Claire. It was wonderful to see. Besides the fact she had made Mac so happy, they were also grateful to have Hope a part of their lives as well, friends had told the bride-to-be numerous times, making her teary-eyed. There was teasing of the couple for kissing so much at the party. In response to the teasing the two stated that while they had no intention to abstain from intimacy, they had been told to "practice" their wedding kiss.

"We're going to least give the guy one out of the two requests," Hope said.

Lucy told Hope her new dress and "ewings" were "pity." It was apparent the little girl did not know yet that she wasn't going to the wedding with her parents. Being there was not much worse than an upset Lucy, her mom and dad were waiting most likely to tell her the night before the wedding and then pacify her with the fact that Danny's mom whom she called "nona"—Italian for grandma was coming to spend that day and night with her. The party festivities lasted till after two a.m. and the lovebirds stepped out of a taxi outside of their home close to 3.00 both not quite drunk but definitely "feeling good."

Even if they had planned to abide by the "no sex" rule, it was being broken tonight.

_**REVIEWS REQUIRED!**_

_if you want to see Hope's engagement party dress please click the link on the top of my profile page!_


	8. Jokes, etc

_**Jokes, Headaches & Ex's jealousy**_

_Note: I remember Mac having a favorite pizza place in an older episode. I don't remember the name of it so I made one up._

Mac chuckled at the piece of paper folded into a card left on his desk from Don, Adam, Hawkes and Danny.

_27 days to zero day! :)_

Friday night had been their engagement party. Thanks to that Mac hadn't had to walk into work with a partial hangover and exhausted from a passionate night with the woman he was going to marry.

"You and Hope have fun after the party?" Hawkes asked, walking into his boss's office.

Mac chuckled, putting the card back on the desk.

"I'll let you use your powers of deduction, Hawkes," he said. "'Zero day?' " Eying the paper.

Hawkes shrugged with a grin.

"Just 'cause you're happy doesn't mean we're not gonna tease ya."

"Apparently."

* * *

><p>"You two look like such a sweet couple."<p>

Hope had printed off a picture of her and Mac taken at the party and framed it on her desk.

"Thanks," she told her co-worker Barbara.

"He's cute," Barbara said.

Barbara wasn't exactly one of her friends from work. She was what one could call the "office busybody." Hope, herself could not deny that she sometimes engaged in "office politics" and gossip but she didn't fill her day with it like Barbara. This was why she seldom interacted with Barbara. She limited her answers to the woman's questions to short ones.

Hope laughed. "Gee, I never noticed that."

"How you guys meet anyway?"

"The diner where I used to eat breakfast at when I was on trips here. And it was _pure_ _coincidence_ when I moved here he lived down the hall of the building," she said, in anticipation of Barbara's next inquiry.

"Sounds like the script for a Hollywood chick-flick."

"Too bad it's already been done a million times over."

Eating breakfast at the diner where they first saw each other was something the couple still did sometimes but mostly they enjoyed breakfast at home together. Everyone at the diner knew the two were now engaged and were happy to see the couple walk in holding hands.

* * *

><p>"You guys <em>actually<em> wrote 'zero day' on the paper?" Lindsay Monroe-Messer said, slapping her husband in the back of the head, then doing the same to Adam Ross who tried to duck but was too slow. "God, _men_!"

"We're not _all_ like that stupid. Sid said he was married too long to be dumb enough to put his name on the card," Sheldon said from across the trace lab. "And don't hit me. Stella already did when Don opened his mouth and bragged about it."

Stella was still on maternity leave but the lab was very short-handed so she was called in for two days.

"At least _one_ of you has some sense," Lindsay said, referring to Sid. "Hopefully a smack from Stella smartened _both_ of you up."

Till he met his bride-to-be Mac forget how comforting it was to have someone to come home to. To be greeted with a kiss and an embrace at the end of a long day lifted a load off his shoulders. He arrived home later than usual that day. Hope was laughing and hanging up the phone when he walked in.

"What's so funny? I want in!" Mac said before embracing her tightly and kissing her lips.

"Mom."

Because of Scoliosis, Hope had almost constant headaches. She had been to numerous specialists but nothing could done to fix her particular case so she basically had to live with the pain. She refused to take prescription medication, preferring to use over the counter relief. There were times, although rare, she had to take the day off work. Today were one of those days..

"Let me guess. Your mom was sympathetic when you said you were not feeling well all day but she was hoping you'd say "I think I'm pregnant." After all, according to her, if you got pregnant now, you could "still fit into your wedding dress and no one would know yet," right?" Mac said

"Bingo."

She had told him not to, she was used to this, but Mac had worried about his fiancée all day even if there wasn't anything seriously wrong with her

"Feelin' better?" He asked, tenderly touching her hair.

"Yeah. I slept most of the day."

"Good."

Mac had been in a handful of serious relationships before Hope came into his life. One of those relationship had been with Peyton Driscoll, a medical examiner from London who done a stint at the crime lab. She returned to her home country telling Mac it was temporary but weeks later broke up with him via a "dear john" letter. He had run into her at the lab today. She in the states for two weeks. Seeing the picture of Hope with _"To Brighten Your Day" _engraved on the bottom of the frame on his desk, Peyton had said "so Hope, do you like her?"

Mac could sense her jealousy. He had moved on but the way Peyton had ended their relationship left a bad taste in his mouth so he decided to make her squirm. Obviously she hadn't spoken to anyone else in the lab.

"Yes, I do."

"Friends?"

"Yes."

That wasn't a lie. The couple _**were**_ friends as well as many other things.

"You two seem quite close."

"We should," Mac had replied. "She and I are getting married in less than a month."

Disappointment registered on Peyton's face, she quickly tried to hide it.

"Lucky girl."

"I don't know 'bout that. I think _I'm_ pretty lucky."

It appeared that Peyton regretted her choice.

_Tough_, Mac thought.

This was only proof to him he was meant to be with nobody but Hope Conway.

"Maybe I'll get a chance to meet her while I'm here."

"You might. She usually does drop in to visit me."

Hearing Mac's story about meeting up with his ex Hope thought the woman got what she deserved. Not just for the fact that she broke up with Mac but _the way she did it_. Breaking up with someone that way was _so cold_. Being she lived an ocean away it was reasonable that Peyton couldn't break up with Mac face-to-face but she could have at least had the decency to call him. Either way, Mac were _hers_ now and he wasn't going to be hurt again.

"This Peyton, is she going to be at the lab tomorrow?"

"She'll be there all week. What are you thinking?" Mac smiled.

"I'm thinking I'll bring you lunch tomorrow. Pizza from _Mario's_?"

"Sounds great."


	9. No PDA? Yeah Right!

_**No PDA? Yeah Right!**_

"I _thought_ Mac had a rule of limited PDA during work visits?" Hope's friend's Serenity asked her the two women exited _Mario's Pizzeria_. Serenity was getting take-out for herself and co-workers. Hope was getting lunch on the way to visit Mac.

"Normally he does," And Hope had no problem with the rule, believing it was absolutely appropriate. "It _might _be bent today."

Neither saw Peyton watching through the glass as the two shared a longer than usual greeting kiss–just for the hell of it. Peyton was just standing there, watching, when Don Flack came by.

"What's up?" He asked her, already knowing the answer.

Peyton was envious. Maybe even thinking it could've been _her_ in that office. But like everyone else Don thought that Mac had found his match with Hope Conway. Peyton Driscoll could go back across the ocean and none of the team would care.

"Is that her?" Peyton asked.

"Who?" Don said, pretending he didn't know she was talking about.

"Her. Is that Mac's new girl?"

"No. She's his _fiancee_. He _is_ actually getting married, you know. He wasn't bullshittin' you. You should meet Hope. She's really nice."

Peyton hadn't ever seen Mac Taylor like he was with this woman. The way his entire face lit up the second he saw Hope. Mac had wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace without even taking a split second to glance at the glass to see in anyone was watching. As close as they had been, he had never this uninhibited with affection with _her_. Peyton saw Mac kiss Hope passionately and say with a smile "where you going?" when she pulled away a minute too soon.

"Lookin' forward to seein' me, huh?" Hope asked, kissing Mac once more and he let go of her.

"Yes. I always do—even without pizza," he smiled.

The two's display of PDA or 'public display of affection" wasn't just a show for Peyton, though they were hoping she saw it. They knew that the team would tell them if she did.

Lindsay saw Peyton looking sullen in the breakroom. She had passed by Mac's office earlier and noticed the two enjoying each other's company, not smooching, just laughing and enjoying pizza.

"Mac seems happy," Peyton said to Lindsay, putting on an apparent forced smile.

"He is." Lindsay said.

If Peyton bought up the fact that Mac were _never_ this loving toward _her_ Lindsay was going to fire back with "whenever he wanted to be like that with _you_, you shrugged him off." Peyton had once told Stella that she was only comfortable with "limited affection" even behind closed doors.

"It must be an English thing," Peyton told the two women.

Lindsay was quickly told this by her friend. Both women agreed that if Peyton was this way her relationship with Mac Taylor wouldn't last that long or be that happy–or both. Neither may have known him in this intimate way but they knew Mac had much love to give to someone.

"I hear the buzz around. Mac hasn't given up on babies, huh?" Peyton said to Lindsay.

"No. And why would he?" Lindsay replied, a bit puzzled.

"I just figured he would have, that's all."

_Just because you didn't want to have a family with him doesn't mean another woman wouldn't,_ Lindsay thought.

* * *

><p>Hope noticed that night that another day had been crossed off the wedding countdown calendar. She smiled, realizing that <em>she<em> hadn't done it. She sat down on the sofa next to the man she loved and kissed his cheek. Mac smiled, leaning toward her.

"What was that for?" He asked.

"Just because," Hope replied. "Did you cross today on the calendar?"

"That I did," he said.

Seeing Peyton Driscoll only reinforced for him how she wasn't ever meant for him. The two may have had several things that drew them together and that list was so much shorter than the list of things that pulled them apart. One major thing was that Mac _absolutely_ wanted to raise a family.

Peyton did not.

Even if the two had ended up together, Mac still would have been unhappy with that major thing still missing in his life.


	10. Fun with Lucy Goosey

_**Fun with Lucy Goosey **_

Peyton Driscoll had decided not to leave the United States after all. She accepted a teaching job at NYU. She was surprised at how upset she was at Mac's new relationship,

His _engagement._

Mac's heart was no longer hers. Moreover, it was readily apparent that seeing her hadn't stirred up any emotion of Mac wanting her back. In the back of her mind Peyton knew she and Mac could have never had a life together. Or a happy one, at least.

Mac wanted children.

She did not.

Her mind couldn't be changed and Mac would have been unhappy with that part of his life, that dream, not coming true. Peyton was too dedicated to her career for motherhood. Just as there was no changing Peyton's mind she _didn't_ want children, there was no changing Mac's mind that he _did._ If his mind could have been changed then maybe he had a future with her. Still, there was something about seeing Mac so happy and affectionate with another woman that bothered Peyton immensely even if she realized she could never make him happy.

Mac could count on one hand the number of times he had kissed Peyton Driscoll the way he kissed Hope _daily_,

More than once a day if they had the chance to see each other.

He had always tried to be as affectionate with Peyton but she pushed him away half of that time. Hope never did. He knew Hope enjoyed being close to him and he enjoyed holding her.

_The first time the two had spent the night together Hope told him that she were a "cuddler" and she hoped that this didn't bother him. It was just the opposite for Mac. _

_ "Makes two of us, baby," he had said._

It was now only _two weeks_ till Hope and Mac's wedding day. Even at work, the future groom couldn't get the smile off his face—when not at the actual crime scene or questioning suspects, victims or their families. Grinning was okay in the confines of the lab around friends. On his wedding day, with all of the team, Danny, Lindsay, Sheldon and Don—plus Stella, who was still on maternity leave, attending the wedding—all in the wedding party except Stella, Mac didn't know who was going to be in charge of the lab.

And this was one day he didn't care.

During Mac's honeymoon in South Carolina Danny would be the lab's interim boss. Mac teased him that it was the only eight days of his life that he could tell Lindsay what to do.

"You'd better enjoy that. But be careful, you live with Lindsay."

* * *

><p>"You sure you guys don't mind takin' Lucy for the night?" Danny asked Mac and Hope. Her parents had won tickets of the premiere of the movie <em>Tower Heist<em>. The parents hadn't had a night out in a while. Hope had come to the lab just as Mac were to clock out at 4:00pm. If the two still agreed to it, he and Lindsay were going to go home and surprise Lucy with the idea. She had asking when she was going to hae a sleep-over at the couple's home for weeks.

"We're sure, Danny. We just want to make sure _she_ wants to." Hope said.

"Are you _kidding?_" Lindsay said.

Nights with Lucy were always fun. She had been aware fairly early in her relationship with Mac that him being Lucy's godfather, if anything happened to her parents, Mac would be raising the little girl. Naturally translating into the fact Hope would also be raising the child if she and Mac married. She did not want anything to happen to Danny and Lindsay but Hope would be glad to raise Lucy.

Lucy had a full toybox with blocks, puzzles and other things like crayons and coloring books at Mac's place, along with a shelf or two of books, and another couple of shelves children's dvds. That selection expanded _a lot_ once Hope moved in with Mac, being Hope had her own large selection of _Disney_ dvds. The child would bring over a favorite toy or two in her backpack but mostly all she bought over was her pajamas, extra clothes and toothbrush.

"Hi ya, cutie," Hope smiled at Lucy when she answered the door after she heard a tiny soft knock.

"Hi!" Lucy said, her _Disney Princesses _roll-on luggage behind her.

"I'm surprised to see you! I didn't think you'd want a sleep over?" Hope teased the girl.

Lucy's mouth turned into an 'o'.

"I _love_ seep-overs!" The little girl smiled. "'Member?"

"I'm just teasing you, sweetie," Hope said, letting her and her parents into the apartment.

Danny and Lindsay didn't stay very long and their daughter didn't mind one bit. After they left, Hope, Mac and Lucy ate pork chops with gravy and fries for supper. Lucy had big plans for after supper; she wanted to build a castle out of her mega-blocks and draw some pictures with the new box of crayons Hope had bought for her. Many of the old ones were broken and flat. Because it would give her more time to play, Lucy agreed to wash up and put her pyjamas on right after supper.

In the castle of blocks that Lucy built with babysitters, she said that mommy and daddy lived in the part that was made from red blocks and that Hope and Mac lived in the part made with green blocks.

"And where do you live?" Mac asked her.

"I lives in both. I got two rooms. One here," she said pointing to the red part, "and one here," she pointed to the blue part.

"That sounds cool, pumpkin," Hope told the girl.

After a story, Lucy was fast asleep cradled in Mac's arms on the sofa by 8:00pm, her chubby hand holding on to the fabric of his t-shirt.

"She so adores you," Hope said, caressing Lucy's blonde hair.

"I can't say the feeling isn't mutual," Mac said smiling down at the child in his arms.

Lucy slept clear through the night and had her babysitters up by 7:15am. Across town Lindsay and Danny were enjoying sleeping in for first time in close to three years.

"I have an idea," Danny said after he yawned and stretched, placing an arm around his wife's shoulders.

"What's that?" Lindsay asked.

"I forgot how it feels to sleep in. On Friday nights, after Lucy goes to sleep, we should bring her over to the Taylor Residence, and let her stay there so she can wake _them_ at 7:00am on a Saturday. Then we'll pick her up just before lunch."

Lindsay just laughed.

"I pick up my dress for the wedding from the seamstress today. Hard to imagine the wedding is in less than two weeks."

"Yeah. I bet they're gonna enjoy time alone together where Mac's phone can't reach 'em, too."

"Definitely. By the way, when you're interim boss, I strongly suggest you not forget that the 'boss' title stops at the exit."

`Over breakfast the two talked about how Peyton had accepted the teaching position at NYU and the level of disdain the British coroner towards the fact Mac had moved on with his life. Lindsay told her husband that only for the fact that Mac wanted children, the two would be together. She never said it but Lindsay disagreed.

"Somehow I doubt that," said Danny.


	11. I Do

_**I Do**_

_Watching from above today, seeing that Mac had finally found happiness and closure, Claire Conrad-Taylor knew she could finally rest in peace. _

The wedding of Mac Taylor and Hope Conway was a beautiful occasion in every way. Not just to the couple but for their friends and family as well. There wasn't a dry eye in the room. Mac's in-laws knew that the team was his only living'family' and appeared touched when Danny welcomed Hope to the family.

Hope laughed when Danny added "by the way, since you're now officially an aunt, can you babysit a week after Friday?"

Before check-out at the hotel the newlyweds ate breakfast at the restaurant with Hope's parents and siblings. Danny and Lindsay dropped in part-way through the way to tell the couple to have a good time in Myrtle Beach, and to give them gifts that Lucy had picked out for them, a pail and shovel each for whenever they went to the beach.

"As soon as we told her you guys were going somewhere that had 'a big sandbox," Lindsay laughed. "She was adamant you needed these. I couldn't talk her out of it."

Lucy Messer referred to beaches as "big sandboxes."

The newlyweds laughed.

"We couldn't possibly tell her you two wouldn't be building sandcastes," Danny chuckled.

"We'll be doing that just enough for _me_ to show _him_," the new bride said, pointing at the groom. "How it's done."

Mac looked at his new wife with raised eyebrows, then smiled.

"A challenge, huh? Oh, you're on!"

Peyton Driscoll looked confused as she walked into Mac's office and found Danny sitting at the desk.

"Where's Mac?" She asked.

Though she was there in a professional capacity, dropping off documents Dr. Sid Hammerback had requested from the university her curiosity regarding why Danny was in Mac's office got the better of her.

"South Carolina."

"Oh? What's there?"

_Neither Peyton has forgot that we told her about Mac getting married or this woman is in serious denial. I bet she hopes Mac called the wedding off at the last minute. _Danny thought.

"South Carolina is a popular honeymoon destination in this country," Danny told her dryly. "He tied the knot with Hope on Saturday."

"Really?" Peyton said, actually sounding surprised.

Danny couldn't help but scoff. As mean as it may have been, Danny decided to keep up agitating Peyton. His wife would be proud.

"Yeah. Wedding was beautiful. I've never seen Mac happier."

At the moment Mac Taylor was having a juvenile moment.

Throwing a bucket full of sand on his wife while she lay relaxing on the beach with her eyes closed–as revenge for her winning "the battle of the sandcastles."

No matter he had done, Mac's sandcastle collapsed.

While his wife's stood.

"What are you doing?" Hope jumped.

"I _could_ kick over your sandcastle but then I'd really be stared at so I decided to do this instead," Mac grinned.

Hope proceeded to get up and chase Mac down the beach and into the water. Mac then turned and lifted her by the waist and kissed her passionately, waves crashing up around their bodies.


	12. Home Sweet Home

_**Home Sweet Home**_

Danny was glad his boss was returning from South Carolina tonight and would be back at the lab the day after tomorrow. This 'boss' thing wasn't all it was cracked up to be. It was a lot of work, harder than his friend made it out to be. After spending a week strolling the boardwalk, shopping, sightseeing and certainly doing _other things_ Hope and Mac were looking forward to returning to the city. They had bought some souvenirs and toys for Lucy, despite her parents _repeatedly_ telling them beforehand not to. The flight from South Carolina was short and the two arrived back at their apartment just after noon on Sunday. It had been all of eight hours the two had made love. Hope joked that it was being back in the much cooler climate of New York and the pouring rain that made them jump into bed and ravage each other. Hope knew that she was going to possibly wake up with the flu the next morning courtesy of the change in the weather. Snuggling into her husband's side after they made passionate love Hope gingerly ran her fingertips across the scar that Mac had above his heart. Mac had received the scar after being severely injured in the 1983 Beirut Barracks Bombing while he was serving as a medic in the marine corp. How much her husband had been through in his forty-two years of life astounded Hope, even more that after all he had been through he was determined not to let any of it take away his desire to continue living. Hope wasn't sure if she could be that strong.

An hour later, Mac was awake. He didn't need to open his eyes to know she wasn't there anymore. He could sense her presence when she was there and when she wasn't. As she predicted, the change in weather had made his wife ill. Mac sat up in bed, slipping on his boxer shorts that been laying on the floor before getting up and checking on his wife.

"You okay?" He said in the doorway of the bathroom.

Hope nodded as she sneezed again two more times.

"Just a start to a cold," she said a second later.

"You want anything? Some juice?"

"Yeah. Apple Juice, please."

Hope had crawled back into bed when Mac came in the room with her juice.

"Your hands are like ice," he said when she handed her the drink.

"You wanna hop into a hot shower with me to warm up, detective?"

Mac smirked and scooped Hope up in his arms, the way he had carried her over the threshold on their wedding night.

Alicia Conway really didn't want to pry but she couldn't help but wonder about the newlyweds' family plans. She knew they wanted children —and soon. The would-be grandmother hoped her daughter was already with child. That wasn't the case. Her mother would be disappointed to know Hope was still on birth control. There was no "perfect time" to have a child however it was going to be two or three months before the Taylors were going to try.

"You actually have a slight tan. I'm shocked," Don teased Mac on Tuesday morning. "I didn't think you two would see much of the outside."

"We didn't," Mac grinned. "Except for a day at the beach and when I was used as a human pack mule for shopping along the boardwalk."

"Not a surprise. I can imagine how much shopping Stella would do."

"Hey! You're back!" Danny said passing by the office door where Mac and Don were. "How was it?" Danny asked, referring to the honeymoon.

"Very enjoyable. And you can tell Lucy her uncle can't build a sandcastle but her aunt definitely can."

Danny laughed.

* * *

><p>Hearing "I'm not feeling well" from her daughter spurred excitement in Alicia Conway—that was quickly dashed "it's just a cold. I'm sure massive sneezing, a runny, red nose and watery eyes aren't an early symptom of pregnancy." Before going home from work a half hour early she stopped by the drug store and bought more <em>Advil Cold &amp; Sinus<em>. At the neighboring Starbucks she bought a hot chocolate before heading home. In the café, she noticed Peyton Discoll in the next line over. The look the woman gave Hope was deadly. Hope was glad that Peyton was the one making her drink, she would have mostly spat in the beverage. She was asleep on the couch when Mac arrived home. He noticed his mother-in-law's number on the phone on the caller id repeatedly in the last half hour. Thinking of his wife after leaving the lab he had also gone to the pharmacy, purchasing not Advil but Nyquil and Dayquil for her.

"I wonder what she wants?" Mac thought out-loud.

His voice woke his wife.

"She probably wants to talk to you. 'Bout the fact I _only_ have the flu and you haven't knocked me up yet."

"Oh," Mac said with a grin, "I must call her and tell her we decided to get a puppy instead."

"And she'll be in here by midnight to kick your ass."

Mac walked over and kissed his wife.

"I don't wanna make you sick," she said to him as his lips touched hers.

"Doesn't matter to me if you did."

_** Next Episode**__: The Taylors decide to enter the realm of expectant parenthood!_


	13. Something About

_**Something About Uniforms**_._**..and Pregnancy**_

A conversation about men in uniform and their ability to "perform" in an intimate fashion was going on in Hope Taylor's office. The women couldn't come to a consensus on what uniform had the most sex appeal.

"_You_ have a two-for-one!" One of them said to Hope, referring to Mac being a former marine and now a cop. "I bet you got it real good in the sack!"

Hope wasn't one to kiss and tell but she did.

This group too, wanted to know when Hope was going to be pregnant.

To ensure she would have the healthiest pregnancy possible for whenever she did conceive, Hope Taylor had begun taking over-the-counter prenatal vitamins and folic acid months ago. It wasn't something she was doing on the sly. Mac had even picked them up for her once. In fact, when she had informed him she was going to do so, he offered to ask Sheldon or Sid if there was any brand she should use. As Mac figured they were pretty much all the same and unless a woman was deficient in something specific, over the counter vitamins did the same job as prescription ones.

"You and Hope have been married, what, almost six months now?"

"Close to that," Mac smiled. "I didn't think realize you were counting."

"We're _all _counting the days till you two make _an announcement_," Sheldon said.

Mac laughed.

"Okay, Hawkes. You're starting to sound like my mother-in-law. Back to work."

Hope tossed her birth control pills the following week and the countdown for a Taylor baby was _officially_ on. Not that anyone was going to find out till the _announcement_. Both had their fingers crossed it wouldn't take too that long for Hope to get pregnant. As bad as their family and friends wanted it, the couple wanted it more. Friends suspected that Hope was trying to get pregnant now that both the couple shunned going out when both had time off. Not quite a month later, Hope didn't get the "visitor" she usually did, she went directly to he doctor's office instead of going for the home pregnancy test.

"You're not very far, but you're definitely pregnant," the doctor told her.

Hope smiled.

"I take it this is good news. You just got married, right?"

"I did."

"Well, I guess your husband will be thrilled."

_You have no idea, _Hope thought.

Mac's heart leapt.

_"I went to the doctor today," his wife had told him._

_ "Everything's okay?" He asked, slightly worried. _

_ "Everything's great. If the fact I'm pregnant makes you happy," she replied._

"You have to _ask _me that?" Mac said, lifting her into his arms, kissing her.

These were the most amazing words Mac had heard since Hope had said "I do" to him on the altar.

Hope was approximately five weeks pregnant and had an appointment scheduled with an OB/GYN for the next week.

"When? I'd like to go with you."

"You_ want_ to go?" Hope asked, feeling a bit surprised. Sometimes even the most loving husbands were uneasy about going to those appointments.

"Absolutely."

Not that Hope _didn't_ want Mac to come to her appointments with her; she did without a doubt. Still she hadn't wanted to have talk him into it if he had been uncomfortable with it.

Hearing their boss and friend's news, the team was overjoyed.

"We have to go out and celebrate," Lindsay said.


	14. Perfection

_**Perfection**_

Maybe the image wasn't much to look at and the sound not much to hear.

But to Mac Taylor it was an experience that he never thought he'd have.

A tiny tear escaped his water-filled eyes seeing the image of the tiny dot that was the baby that he and Hope had created. The soft swish-swish sound was the child's heartbeat. Mac squeezed his wife's hand and kissed her. If he had wanted to, he couldn't have hid his pride as he showed the print to their friends when they went with their friends that following Friday evening. The evening included eight-month-old Trey Flack and Lucy Messer who would be three in a week. They wanted the kids to come along to celebrate because they were family too, so the couple picked the kid-friendly _Friendly's_ Restaurant. Lucy were thrilled she was going to have a new cousin but was puzzled as to why that said cousin right now looked like a circle.

After a little while she announced she had figured it out.

The baby was a seed and would grow like a tree in Hope's belly.

Everyone laughed.

"Wanna do the honors, Mac?" Stella asked when Trey started to cry to be fed.

"Sure," Mac smiled. "No appetite problems here, big fella?" He said to the baby as Trey ate a whole jar of baby food.

After that Trey didn't want to leave Mac's lap and Lucy didn't want to leave Hope's. When Trey needed to be changed Don just handed Mac the diaper bag. Considering the reason for the celebration he thought Mac needed as much as practice as he could get. Lucy Messer was toilet-trained so Mac's wife wouldn't have the same duty with the child in her lap.

"Hey, this one's not mine!" Mac protested.

"You still need the practice and he's not gonna get any quieter," Trey's mom said.

That night Hope smiled seeing her husband had fallen asleep with the print of her ultrasound in his hand. She didn't doubt how excited he would be by her being pregnant but how happy he was with the news still touched her heart. Knowing Mac was a light sleeper she didn't try to remove the paper from his fingers. She got into their bed as quietly as possible and slipped her arm around his waist and snuggled into his back.

True to form, Mac woke up feeling his wife's touch. He rested his hand on top of Hope's and laced his fingers through hers.

"You okay?" He murmured.

"Great," she replied. "You?"

"Perfect."

_** The End...watch for the sequal **__**Hope Leads to Happiness Again**_.


End file.
